Compact does not describe the new Professional camcorder from Canon – it is tiny. The XA-10 does not skimp on quality by recording in HD 1080p. Inside the body is a wide angle lens with flexible zoom range and an eight blade iris for getting clean depth of field.

You should take advantage of the attachable arm shown in the video to get external XLRs and it’s still less than 10 inches in all dimensions and under two lbs, and if you are a Canon customer you may have the DSLR, EOS 60D, which is mere ounces lighter than the XA-10. Recording time will be a small issue with either 64GB internal memory for a minimum of five hours recording time or two SDXC card slots, including simultaneous recording for instant backup. You will be able to make great video with this small, professional camcorder for $2,000. We caught up with a speaker for Canon to give us some insight in this video from CES 2011:

I had the chance to examine Panasonic’s HD 3D camcorder the day before it was announced at their press conference. It records on SD flash media. The camcorder is for the professional market, but it is small in size. I was able to operate it with one hand, but it was not long enough to rest on my shoulder, so it was a little heavy.

Unlike typical 2D video (where both of the viewer’s eyes see the same image), 3D imaging relies upon serving each of the viewer’s eyes with a different image. This requires the camcorder to record two video signals, therefore, it has two lenses, two image sensors and two SD card slots. The camera operator can choose the point of convergence of the two images. Playback of the 3D video requires a 3D monitor (LCD or Plasma) with two video jacks, and the viewer must wear battery-powered 3D glasses.

I just saw the motion picture Avatar in 3D a few days ago. It was an incredible experience. Little did I know that, less than a week later, I would be holding a 3D camcorder in my hand. The image from Panasonic’s 3D camcorder is incredible.